


The five times Nathalie thought about adopting Adrien and the one time she actually went through with it

by Buttercup_ghost



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (well referenced by Nathalie as something she fears at least), 5+1 Things, Adoption, Angst, Appreciate Nathalie 2k17, Bittersweet Ending, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gabriel Being Gabriel, Hopeful Ending, Hurt Adrien Agreste, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Forced Dieting, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Multi, Physical Abuse, References to Depression, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, implied eating disorders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 05:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12052575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buttercup_ghost/pseuds/Buttercup_ghost
Summary: "Nathalie," he said, almost pleading, "he's my son."She looked at him, gaze cold, and replied, "Not anymore, Gabriel."And then were gone, the resounding clack of Nathalie's heals the only warning he got before the door slammed in his face.





	The five times Nathalie thought about adopting Adrien and the one time she actually went through with it

(I.)

Nathalie sighed, watching him go. It was heartbreaking, if she was honest, how fragile that hope in his eyes shined when she handed him the gift, saying it was from his father. It wasn't, and Nathalie knew that, but if nothing was given to him from his own father, he'd be crushed. She's not sure this is any better, but his smile remained in her mind, and she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Adrien's mental health was more important that that marionette girl and her crush, and if she was truly his friend, she'd see his smile like Nathalie had.

She wished it was simpler, sometimes. Her boss was always emotionally unavailable, and forced her to be so too, though unlike him, she tried to be there. She knows it's been hard on Adrien, the pain of losing a mom still fresh. It hadn't even been a year yet, and his dad hadn't exactly been there for him, now has he?

If she was twenty hundred grand richer, she might just adopt the boy. Despite herself, she snorted. Her, a mom? The very image was humorous. Still, though, even she knew she'd be better at it than that man. Almost anyone would be.

Nathalie sighed, reflecting back on his smile. Well, for now, she'll just try her best to be there for him. Maybe she'll help him smuggle that Nino boy in, they do seem to be good friends, after all. Adrien needed that, other people who care, she thinks.

 

 

(II.)

He's looking at her intently, pleading, almost, as if she held the answers to the universe, pausing the tree decorating in favor for silently asking the universe for his dad to just come down, he doesn't need anything else, just come down.

And all she can do is hopelessly fumble through her words, eyes trying to avoid meting his pleading ones, yet failing. His look is heartbreaking, like he expected it, but was hoping that somehow he was wrong. Her heart aches, and she wants to reach out, to tell him to stay, but no words come out.

It's Christmas, and he's alone in his room.

He ends up spending diner with him, surrounded by friends, but it took him going missing for that to happen, something as normal as having people around on Christmas. Even though Adrien is smiling, she can't help but remembering his face, from before.

She frowns. The thought of adopting him is starting to feel less out there.

 

 

(III.)

"It's not _fair,_ " Adrien complained, something he didn't do often, "he never comes to these events." She sighed, adjusting her glasses, as if that could give her a better look at the situation, shaking her head.

"Adrien-" she started, but he cut her off, " _No!_ I don't even, I don't even _want_ to be taking these extra activities, but I do it for him, and he doesn't even- _he doesn't even_ -"

He collapsed to the floor, crouching, his hands covering his mouth, trying to shove his words back in. His eyes were wide, wide, _wide_ , like the plates of salads she serves him, not nearly enough for a growing boy. She's alarmed, even more so when tears slowly but surely fall out of his eyes, and she goes to him, taking his trembling form in her arms. He tries to speak between sobs, a quivering little thing.

"Ever since mom- ever since mom- _mom_ -"

God help her, she wishes she could take this boy, and just _run_ , run from everything, all their problems. But she couldn't.

"I know, Adrien."

She couldn't even comfort him right, just stiffly hold him, not knowing what else to say. What else was there to?

 

 

(IV.)

He comes in through the front door. It's unusual, she knows about him sneaking out at night, figuring that he needed a break from this empty, empty house, leaving him be, and even trying to let him have a few more minutes of rest in the mornings, whenever she hears him stumbling about the night before.

This is different; she had known that he hadn't come back from his photo shoot, but Gabriel said not to worry about it, so she didn't. Now, though, she's regretting it.

He's tripping over himself, stumbling through the front door, hair messy, clothes hanging off. What really sets off alarm bells is his face, his eyes, makeup smearing in what's undeniably tear tracks.

She's to him immediately—he flinched a bit, at first, before realizing it's her—and starts leading him to his bathroom, in silence.

When they get there, he collapses, as if whatever puppet strings holding him up have snapped, and stares, vacantly.

She hesitates.

A beat.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Another beat.

"No."

She sighs, getting up, before looking back, bitting her lip. She wants to ask if he'll be ok, but she doesn't know what she'll do if he says no, and she's not a fool, there's not a chance the answer is yes, so she sighs, and turns away, trusting he'll get himself clean. He probably doesn't want to be touched right now.

She slinks off to the kitchen, making a cup of tea, and putting her head in her hands, sighing once more. She seems to be sighing a lot, lately. Gabriel is still sound asleep, unaware of the horrors he's unwittingly subjected his son to. She feels bitter, and almost wants to laugh, but she's afraid that if she does she'll start sobbing. Sometimes, she really hated that man.

The shower has been going for far to long, she thinks, though she's not sure of the time since she's sit down, its been long enough for her tea to grow cold. She frets, going up to check, knocking at the door. She thinks she hears muffled sobbing, and.. something else? She knocks again, "Adrien? Are you ok?"

Nothing.

Shes hesitates again, hand ghosting on the nob, before she hears an yelp of some sorts, and decides to open the door.

Adrien is hunched over, rubbing his skin raw.

She takes his hands away from his body, and he struggles, sobbing, fighting with all his might, his mind somewhere else. She only realizes she's been shouting his name when his dad walks through the door, annoyed.

"What is going on here?" He asks, but there's only a tint of concern in his gaze, as he spots Adrien trying to claw at his skin.

" _Adrien!_ Stop that right now! Don't you know how costly those scars would be?! Stop being selfish, Adrien, think of your career."

Sometimes, she really hated that man.

It's then she truly realizes she needs to get him _away_ , away from modeling, these people, _his dad._

When he walks away from his sobbing son, exasperated, she spits at his back with a snarl.

 

 

(V.)

He hardly comes out of his room, now a days, and his grades are starting to slip. He's smiles are even more forced than usual, sometimes he doesn't even bother to fake them. His friends, the reporter girl, Nino, and the girl who dropped off that gift so long ago—there's a pinch of guilt, there, for what she did. All it did was give Adrien false hope in the end—are over more often, his father to absent to even realize the kid he banned from his house is one of the only things keeping his son together. There's no excuse for this, his son had been hurt, and he hadn't been there, instead relying on kids his own age. It's sad, sadder than she realized before, what this family— _her_ family, because at this point it was undeniable that she felt responsible for the boy—has come to.

She needs to do something, she does, but she doesn't know what.

The back of her mind whispers to take him and run, go to court, adopt him, _anything_ , but she knows it's not that simple. If she were to adopt, she'd need to get either his signature or a courts, either convince him to willingly hand over his child, or prove he's an unfit dad. She doesn't know if she can do that, either one, and it all just seems so tiring.

If it's tiring to her, what's it like for _Adrien?_  If she's desperate enough to think of going against the strongest fashion designer in the world, what is _he_ thinking about doing?

She doesn't know, but she has a chilling idea.

She needs to think, and fast.

 

 

~~_(VI.)_ ~~

 

(I.)

The sound isn't that loud, in all honestly, but to all three members in the room, it's deafening. Gabriel stares at his hand, almost unseeing, almost in horror, and Adrien cradles his injured cheek. She is frozen, rage in her bones like ice, heart racing as a cool smile—or is it a grimace?—crosses her face.

"How. Dare. You."

No one has ever seen Nathalie so pissed, and looking at the trembling women before them, freezing mountains with her glare, not holding any malice back, Gabriel shrinks.

"Nathalie-" he tries, desperately trying to gain control over the situation again, but she cut him off.

"Do you know why Adrien's grades are dropping?" She asks, voice dripping in something raw.

"What?" He asks, taken off guard.

"Do. You. Know. Why. His. Grades. Are. Dropping." She grits it out, teeth grinding, before she sighs, shooting an icy look when he couldn't answer.

"Of course you don't. You never bothered to ask."

She decides right then and there, looking at this man, that he's pathetic. He doesn't deserve to know of that night, when Adrien came home in tatters, frayed and ripped at the edges as she guided him to his bath.

"I'm going, Gabriel, and I'm taking him with me. And you sure as hell be sure I'm suing you for all your worth."

He looks gobsmacked, and so does Adrien, and she allows herself some satisfaction in it. Gabriel's expression soon melts into rage, masking the panic he felt inside.

"How dare you threaten me?! I'll have you know I love my son-"

She cuts him off, "So you hit him? When was the last time you told him that, anyways? Does he really know?"

He's rendered speechless. There has to be a time he told him, there has to be but, no, no he doesn't remember speaking them, never, but surely. Surely Adrien knew, anyways. Right?

Natalie huffs, exasperated, it seems, "It doesn't matter if you love him, anyways. You hurt him." She takes Adrien, still shocked, looking between her and his father, and starts to guide him out of the office, before Gabriels voice halts her movements.

"Nathalie," he said, almost pleading, "he's my son."

She looked at him, gaze cold, and replied, "Not anymore, Gabriel."

And then they were gone, the resounding clack of Nathalie's heals the only warning he got before the door slammed in his face.


End file.
